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Split Ends and House Flies

They say you need to write every day. I don’t necessarily believe that—mainly because I can’t write every day.

Shut up Jean-Luc.

Like most aspiring authors, I have a day job. I have a (very) busy family life, errands to run, a house to maintain, and air to breathe. Writing every day just isn’t feasible at this stage of the game.

And, writing in summer? Impossible.

Taking two months off my WIP was a decision I made to ensure the hellions enjoyed their annual eight weeks of freedom. I’m glad I did. My oldest is eleven. In a few years, he might not want to spend his school vacation camping/beaching/laser-tagging with his parents. Now, he does. And I want to spend time with him, too.

All that said, I am fully aware that maintaining a consistent writing schedule is enormously beneficial to writers at every stage. Perhaps all-too-fully aware of it now, as I sit at my computer trying, trying, trying to get words to magically jump from my fingertips onto the computer screen. Getting back into a regular writing schedule after an extended period of time off is hard as hell. Like any skill, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely degrades without practice. Those who don’t write often risk a dramatic step-back in their very ability to work.

Boo-bloody-hoo.

Writing is hard. We all know it.

Life happens. We all have jobs. We all have bills, stress, and the very human desire to socialize every now and then. What separates an author from a wannabe is the ability to get back on the writing horse and stare at the blinking cursor until it starts to move.
Today, I tried to write for three hours AND NOTHING HAPPENED.

Well, that’s not true. A fly buzzed around me as if willfully trying to drive me insane for an hour and a half . . . until I finally killed it. Then I ate lunch. Then I divided the splitting ends of my hair for fifteen minutes, thinking about Sean Spicer’s appearance on the Emmys last night.

I finally settled on attacking a blog post, because I didn’t really want to think about Sean Spicer anymore and it was obvious it just wasn’t an Old Souls kind of day.

I’m no aspiring writer and I find holding a writing schedule difficult (I try to post a blog Tuesdays and Fridays). If you took time to be with family, no one will ever hold that against you, but that fact you aren’t giving up on it shows your character! 🙂 Enjoy today and get at it tomorrow!

I’m sure every single one of us reading this will have nodded and chuckled. I’m sure your groove is right around the next corner. I hope mine is too……In the meantime I’ll enjoy reading your blog posts and writing my own. Until the finished book day arrives…

I had to laugh at that poor fly. “I killed it. Then I had lunch.” I’m guessing you didn’t eat that fly… but still. Funny image 🙂 It’s always hard to get back into things after taking some time away from it. My running routine can testify to that. Good luck with Old Souls. In the meantime I’ll just keep coming back here.

I’m not a must write every day writer, maybe a write five out of every seven days writer. And a reader when I’m not writing. But yet at times I do think, “Who knows what beautiful thing I might have written today is I hadn’t taken the day off?”

How did I find you today? Somehow ended up checking my “followers” and there you were.
Loved this post. I have no children nor full time job to blame for losing my daily ( almost!) writing habit. Something happened and I’ve wasted even more time trying to figure out what that something was!
So… I’ve read this post and I’m going to put on my big girl underpants and head up to my writing room … in the morning!!
I’m SO following you!!

Listen here…judging by the number of positive commenters, you are doing a great job. Small bites of writing count. Yes, maybe it’s not stuff for your book, but your work is still connecting. Time out now, while I hop off my soapbox. Any stories about a fly buzzing around Sean Spicer at the Emmys? A dead fly, maybe?

I would LIKE to write everyday, and lately I have been able to. But my kids are grown. When they were younger and wanted my attention there was no choice but to push away from the computer. You seem to write quality when you do so good for you

Nice post. I believe there is no template for the ideal writer. It’s as much art as it is science (with a little bit of voodoo mixed in), and the only reason to learn the rules is to figure out which ones we can get away with breaking.